The Art of Rememberance
by Yukiko-hime
Summary: After a shocking descision by Alfred and a spell from Arthur, Alfred is transformed into a normal human with no recollection of his former life except for a single picture. Matthew desperately searches for his brother, but will Alfred ever remember? USCan, other pairings in the future
1. The Beginning of the End

The Art of Rememberance

_"Are... are you sure you want to go through with this, lad?" Arthur's distraught voice said. _

_"Yes. I'm done. I can't take this shit anymore. It's been a great run, guys," Alfred said. Matthew sniffed and wiped his face casually._

_"You're r-really gonna go through with it, Al? You won't r-remember any of us a-anymore you know, eh?" Matthew managed to stutter out. Alfred sighed and looked at his brother with a melancholy smile, a sadness lingering in his eyes._

_"I know, Mattie. But I just can't handle all this responsibility anymore. I just want to be human," Alfred said, which evoked fresh sobs from the man known as Canada and a sad frown from the one known as the United Kingdom. America gave a watery laugh, tears pooling in his own eyes as Matthew tackled him with a hug._

_"Matthew, it's time. The spell is ready. It's now or never, love," Arthur said. Matthew cried even harder as he began to walk out of the glass room._

_"Mattie! Wait!" Alfred cried before Matthew reached the door. Matthew turned around as Alfred frantically took off his beloved bomber jacket and threw it at his brother._

_"Take it. I want you to have it," America said breathlessly. Canada smiled. He then took off his necklace, a locket Alfred had given him for his birthday a few years ago. He threw it at Alfred._

_"Take this then. Maybe you'll remember me if you can see my face," Matthew said. Alfred grinned as he put it around his neck. Matthew walked out of the room and Alfred stepped into the spell circle in the middle of the floor._

_"Are you sure?" Arthur asked one final time. Alfred nodded. Matthew watched as Arthur chanted in some unknown language and the circle grew brighter. Arthur's voice got louder as the light increased, and the light became a blinding flash as Arthur yelled and pushed out his hands. Matthew looked into the small glass room to see his brother sleeping on the floor with no memory of his entire life. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he collapsed on the floor and sobbed._

_**XxXxXxXxXxX**_

_**January 31**_

My name is Alfred F. Jones. I know almost nothing about myself except that that is my name, I am twenty-one, and I live in New York City. To be precise, I live in Manhattan. Seriously, I don't even know what my middle name actually is. All I know is that it starts with an F.

My life basically started on January first. I woke up in an alley, with nothing but an address to what I assumed was my house (which, it turns out, it was), a thousand dollars (how I had not gotten mugged before then I do not know), and a locket with two pictures inside it. At first I thought they were both pictures of me, but after a closer look I saw they were two different people. One was me, and one was some person named Matthew, according to the inscription on the back. I had no clue who he was, but my guess was that he was important.

Today, I was looking for a job. I have to pay for that apartment, and a thousand dollars only goes so far, right? I had already spent four hundred of it on clothes and food (because the only thing my apartment had in it was furniture). I flipped through a newspaper at the Starbucks that happened to be right around the corner from my apartment. I heard footsteps and turned around to see Gilbert, the manager, bring me my coffee. I grinned. I had become a regular here in the month of my new memory, and I had conversations with him from time to time. He was German (he continued to claim he was Prussian, even though the country no longer existed).

"You looking for a job?" Gilbert asked as he saw what I was reading. I nodded.

"Why don't you just work here? We could use some more help around here. The awesome me can't do everything by myself all the time, right?" the albino offered with a devious smirk. I grinned.

"Seriously Gil? That'd be totally awesome dude!" I said with a laugh. Gil smirked.

"Cool. You start tomorrow then! YONG SOO! GET YOUR KOREAN ASS OUT HERE AND GIVE AL A UNIFORM!" Gilbert yelled towards the back, causing some of the customers to jump in surprise.

"Jesus, Gil! Would you mind not screaming your head off? I've got a fuckin' hangover from yesterday, you dumbass!" Mathias growled from the cash register as he held his head in his hands. The man from Denmark was a heavy drinker.

"Oh suck it loser, my Prussianness is too awesome for you to handle," Gilbert said in an offhand voice as Yong Soo came out of the back carrying a uniform in his hands and rubbing his face with his oversized sleeve.

"Hey, don't you dare talk to the King of Scandanavia like that, you dumb German!" Mathias yelled back. Gilbert and Mathias then proceeded to argue about Gilbert's German vs. Prussian origins while I sipped my mocha contentedly.

"You know, coffee was invented in Korea, da-ze," Yong Soo said as he set down the uniform and plopped into the booth on the other side of the table, grinning as the two other men began throwing punches, scaring away many of the customers. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"That is such a lie. Do they always do this?" I said as I pointed at the fighting men.

"At least twice a week," Yong Soo said with a grin. I laughed.

"I could get used to it here," I replied.

_**XxXxXxXxXxX**_

I sighed and clenched my fist as I walked out of the U.N. meeting. They had become very subdued since Alfred left, and this one was no different, with people giving me their condolences. The only reason they probably even noticed me was because I had become the temporary representative for both Canada and America now (mainly because I was closest and it will take a while to train the next representative) and I wore Al's bomber jacket over my clothes every day. Really, the stress of America was starting to get to me. Alfred was much worse off than he let on (maybe this was his reaason for leaving?).

"I wish I was at least allowed to see him..." I mumbled as Arthur fell in step beside me.

"Everyone does. I think the loss of that little git might have just made things worse off. It definitely hasn't made things better for you Matthew. That wanker left you with an entire country to look after!" Arthur replied. I nodded.

"They wouldn't even tell us what city he was placed in!" I complained as we walked by a Starbucks. I saw a commotion inside, and glanced at the window to see two men fighting. I frowned.

"Typical Americans," I muttered as we walked past.

"Technically, you're part American now too, love," Arthur pointed out. I groaned.

"I guess you're right," I said.

_**XxXxXxXxXxX**_

I smiled as Gilbert and Mathias broke up and I looked out the window. I saw a man with short blonde hair much like my own (except that it was slightly longer and wavy) with violet eyes and another blonde with piercing green eyes and ridicuously large eyebrows. Seriously, you could land a plane on those freakin' things!

I thought nothing of it for a second, but then did a double take. Was the violet eyed man... the one from the locket? I scrambled out of my seat as I opened the locket to make sure. Yes, I was positive they were the same. I ran outside, ignoring the voices of my newfound friends, and ran off down the street.

"MATTHEW!" I yelled out, but the man had already disappeared. I ran frantically down the street, pushing people out of the way.

"MATTHEW!" I yelled out again, but no one turned around. I growled angrily and ran a hand through my unruly hair. Great, now how would I find out what happened to me?

_**XxXxXxXxXxX**_

I walked with Arthur towards the nearest taxi when I hears someone scream my name in my mind.

"MATTHEW!" I heard the voice scream. My breath hitched and my eyes widend. I turned around quickly and stopped, scanning the crowd of people for Alfred.

"Matthew, what are you doing? We're going to miss our flights it we don't hurry along," Arthur said as he held the door of the taxi open. I held up a finger and Arthur sighed.

"I'm positive he's not here, Matthew, why would they leave him so close to the U.N.?" Arthur said reasonably. I sighed.

"You're right. Must have just been my imagination then, eh?" I lied with a soft chuckle. I got into the taxi, but the only thing running through my mind was that I had just heard and felt Alfred F. Jones in my head, screaming my name.

_**XxXxXxXxXxX**_

_****__**Hey guys! I finally decided to type up one of the ideas in my head and turn it into a USCan story! This is also gonna be my first multi-chapter Hetalia story, so I'm pretty excited :3**_ Please tell me what you think, because I'm new at writing for Hetalia :)

_**Reviews earn my love (and internet cookies!),**_

_**Yukiko-hime**_


	2. Connections

_**Ugh! I'm so sorry! My computer had to get sent in and fixed because something was wrong with the hard drive, so I have none of my files and haven't been able to update! This chapter is my attempt at an apology(?).**_

* * *

The Art of Rememberance

_**February 18**_

I groaned as I heard my alarm clock ring, signaling that I had to get up for work. I hissed as I sat up, my head pounding. I'd gone drinking with Gilbert and Mathias last night, and had a wicked hangover.

"Fuck," I growled as I shielded my eyes from the light. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight thirty. My eyes widened. My shift started at nine!

"FUCK!" I yelled angrily as I made my way to the bathroom and took the fastest shower humanly possible. I hurriedly put my clothes on while dry swallowing a few ibuprofen for the hangover and raced off toward the bus stop. I just barely made it onto the bus in time. I sighed as I sunk into my seat and pulled out my phone, texting Yong Soo and asking him to cover for me until I got there.

"You're late, jackass!" Gilbert said with a grin as I walked into the Starbucks.

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and give me some coffee before my head splits open," I muttered. Gilbert grinned.

"Aww, is wittle Alfie still hungover?" Gilbert said with a shit-eating grin. I smacked him upside the head and accepted the coffee Yong Soo handed me.

"You better not take register right now," Yong Soo said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'd probably piss them all off," I said with a laugh. I retreated to the back and laughed when I found Mathias sleeping in the corner. I suddenly saw an image of a person who looked much like myself crying. I tensed. Matthew!

"Alfred, you okay?" I heard Yong Soo say from behind me. I turned around and smiled.

"Yup, the hero's all good!" I said with a loud laugh. Inside, I was worried. Why was Matthew crying? Was this some sort of memory? Or was it something else? Would it tell me anything about my past?

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

I sighed as my alarm clock went off, telling me to get up. I looked over and saw the time was eight thirty. I sat up and glared at the now silent clock. I heard a crash from the kitchen and immediately jumped up. Was Al trying to cook breakfast again?

I raced into the kitchen to find Kumajiro with a shattered plate on the ground. I felt a weight settle on my chest as I remembered Alfred wasn't here anymore. I sighed heavily as I picked up the broken plate. I sat at the kitchen table and put my head in my hands.

"I still can't believe he's g-gone..." I said to myself as I felt something wet on my face. I wiped my face and realized I was crying, which just made me cry even harder. How could he throw away everything we had? All the time he'd spent building his country from the ground up? I hiccuped as I dialed Arthur's number and listened to the phone ring.

"Matthew?" Arthur said as he answered the phone. I started to sob.

"Matthew, what's wrong poppet? Are you okay?" Arthur asked with a concerned tone. I shook my head, but then remembered he couldn't see me.

"N-no..." I said shakily. Arthur didn't say anything, but I could tell he was frowning.

"Do you want me to come over? I'm not terribly busy today," Arthur asked.

"N-no, I'll be fine in a f-few minutes," I said.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked again. I sobbed even harder at that.

"I just c-cant's believe he's g-gone!" I wailed over the phone. Arthur sighed.

"I'm coming over right now. Where are you?" Arthur said.

"Our- I mean m-my apartment in T-Toronto," I stuttered.

"I'll be there soon, stay there," Arthur said before disconnecting. I continued to cry until I heard laughter. I picked my head up quickly. That was Alfred's laugh!

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

I was still weirded out from seeing Matthew in my head, but I continued my day without incident. I left work and decided to take a walk before returning to my apartment. I glanced around at all the people rushing to their various destinations, and I frowned.

_They _had all their memories. _They _haven't forgotten everything they've ever known with only one way to find everything. Matthew. I needed to find him, and fast. How was he relevant to my past? Were we related? Brothers, maybe? He did look a lot like me...

I frowned. I had nothing to go on other than the locket. The locket was my only key to unlocking my past. I growled in anger.

"Why the hell can't I remember?" I said to myself, earning strange stares from passerby. I grinned sheepishly. I found my way back to my apartment and texted Gilbert.

_To: Gilbert_

_would u believe me if i told u something crazy?_

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**ur not high again rite?**_

I laughed. Of course he would assume that. I texted back.

_To: Gilbert_

_no dude! the hero is sober! im serious_

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**alright. shoot.**_

I sighed. Was I really about to do this? I steeled myself and replied.

_To: Gilbert_

_well... i, um... dont really have any memory of my life before january first. like, there's nothing. ive only got this locket thing (DONT LAUGH) with a pic of some dude named matthew inside..._

I waited five minutes before Gilbert replied.

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**...no way...**_

_To: Gilbert_

_u dont believe me do u?_

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**no... i do...**_

I was shocked. He actually believed me?

_To: Gilbert_

_seriously?_

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**yeah. would u believe me if i said something kinda like that happened to me 2?**_

I froze. The same thing happened to Gil?

_To: Gilbert_

_seriously? thats messed up dude!_

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**ya. ive got a pic of me and some dude named ludwig, some other dude named roderich and some chick named elizaveta. is that fucked up or what?**_

_To: Gilbert_

_u better not be fucking with me __Beilschmidt._

_**From: Gilbert**_

_**im not! dead serious. ill come over to ur place right now 2 show u!**_

_To: Gilbert_

_k. let yourself in. doors unlocked._

My hands were shaking as I put my phone down. There was no way the same thing could have happened to both of us... right?

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

I was still sitting at my kitchen table when Arthur arrived. He saw my red eyes and promptly sat next to me.

"Matthew..." he said as I looked at him with hollow eyes.

"I heard him. His voice. In my head," I deadpanned. Arthur looked taken aback.

"You... you did?" He asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes. The first time he was calling my name, and the second time he was laughing," I replied. Arthur sighed.

"It's coming back..." he mumbled to himself. I sat up straighter.

"_What's _coming back?" I replied. Arthur was silent, looking like he was debating to tell me or not.

"The telepathy link," Arthur finally said.

"The what?" I asked. Arthur frowned.

"A long time ago, it was discovered that the two of you had a telepathy link. It usually only worked in times of great stress on the mind, but you two had practiced so much you were able to talk to each other without speaking a word. It finally got so bad that the two of you wouldn't speak a word to anyone else besides each other, so I was forced to remove it. However, it seems my spell has finally started to wear off," Arthur explained. My eyes widened.

"So you mean I can talk to Al in my mind?" I asked in awe.

"To an extent. It hasn't been done in a while, so you'll probably only get images or a few seconds of speech," Arthur said.

"...Do you think if I practiced-" I started, but Arthur cut me off.

"You better not bloody practice! We took his memories away for a reason, lad!" Arthur exclaimed. I glared.

"Well, you didn't take away _my _feelings, Arthur! How am _I _supposed to forget centuries of memories? How do you expect _me _to forget the decades we were in a relationship together, huh? I can't just let him slip through my fingers like that! I love him Arthur, don't you understand?" I yelled way louder than my usual almost-whispering, shocking Arthur.

"Matthew, I know how you feel. Alfred was a son and a brother to me, lad. It wasn't easy for me to do that to him, but it's... it's what he wanted, lad," Arthur said quietly. I frowned. I had forgotten about how Arthur felt.

"Do you think if I could convince him to see the good in his life here, he might come back on his own?" I asked. Arthur sighed.

"Possibly, but I don't know how you could manage that. You don't even know where they put the bloody wanker!" Arthur said, exasperated.

"I think I know how to find him. If I reach out to him enough, I might be able to jog his memory or even find out where he is," I said. Arthur looked like he was fighing an internal battle and lost. He sighed.

"Alright, fine. I want the git back with us as much as you do, but tell no one except me what you're doing, alright boy?" Arthur said. I grinned.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" I said happily as I hugged Arthur.

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

I looked over as I heard Gilbert come in. He sat next to me and shoved something in my face. It was the picture he was talking about.

"No way dude! That's insane!" I said in awe as I looked at the writing on the back and seeing the names Gilbert mentioned.

"Yeah, I always thought that was pretty fucked up. I was just starting to get used to it when you told me the same sort of thing happened to you," Gilbert said, clearly shaken.

"D'you think it's connected?" I said.

"That'd be pretty fucking creepy if it was. I mean, two guys with no memories of most of their lives that happen to work together in Manhattan? That's either the biggest fucking coincidence in the world or clearly connected," Gilbert said.

"Alright! The hero has an idea! Let's start an investigation to figure out what the fuck happened to us!" I announced with a grin. Gilbert grinned back.

"That sounds awesome!" Gilbert said.

"Let's start tomorrow," I said. I glanced over at my TV and smirked.

"...Wanna shoot up some Nazi zombies?" I asked.

"You fucking know it."

* * *

_**DONE! I thought I did pretty good with that... HOORAY FOR SELF-CONFIDENCE!**_

_**Reviews would be loved right now (I've been starved of them for so long!), so type 'em up!**_

_**~Yukiko-hime**_


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